Amani Hooker trade: Bills gets secondary help from Titans for second-round pick, per report
Buffalo sends a second-round pick to Tennessee for Hooker and a fifth-round pick as the team seeks to shore up its secondary.
Quick Look
- The Buffalo Bills acquired Tennessee Titans safety Amani Hooker and a fifth-round pick in exchange for a second-round pick before the 2026 NFL trade deadline.
- Hooker, 28, leads the NFL with five interceptions and is under contract through 2028 on a three-year, $40.5 million deal.
- Buffalo, ranked 16th in scoring defense under new defensive coordinator Jim Leonhard, is targeting postseason improvement.
AI-generated summary
Why It Matters
The Buffalo Bills entered the 2026 NFL trade deadline as the AFC's top seed with a 7-1 record through nine weeks. Their defense had declined under first-year defensive coordinator Jim Leonhard, allowing 23.4 points per game and ranking 16th in scoring defense. Amani Hooker leads the NFL with five interceptions and is under team control through the 2028 season on a three-year, $40.5 million contract.
The Buffalo Bills, who are the AFC's top seed through nine weeks with a 7-1 record, watched the Jacksonville Jaguars load up and decided they needed to make a splash before the 2026 NFL trade deadline at 4 p.m. ET on Tuesday.
They acquired Tennessee Titans safety Amani Hooker and a fifth-round pick while sending Tennessee a second-round pick, per an ESPN report. Hooker, who is 28 years old, leads the NFL in interceptions with five after picking off Cincinnati Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow three times in a 43-36 overtime defeat in Week 8.
Hooker is just the third player in the past 40 years with 50-plus tackles (52) and 5-plus interceptions (5) in his first seven games of a season, along with Washington cornerback DeAngelo Hall (2010) and Indianapolis Colts linebacker Cato June (2005). He and Green Bay Packers All-Pro safety Xavier McKinney are also the only two players in the last three seasons with 200-plus tackles (204) and double-digit interceptions (10). Acquiring Hooker also came at a steep price because his three-year, $40.5 million contract is now a team-friendly asset that has him under team control through the 2028 season.
This was a deal the Bills had to make, all things considered. Buffalo led the NFL in scoring defense with 19.3 points per game allowed from 2021 to 2025 under ex-head coach Sean McDermott, but under first-year defensive coordinator Jim Leonhard, they're allowing 23.4 points per game, ranking 16th in the league. They're also 14th in expected points added (EPA) per play and 17th in EPA per dropback, but those numbers were artificially deflated by Wentz and the wheezing Vikings offense. Through the first eight weeks of the season, the Bills were tied for 24th in scoring defense (25.9 points per game allowed), 24th in defensive EPA per play and 27th in EPA per dropback.
On Monday night, Minnesota had open wide receivers throughout the game, but Wentz was unable to find them. That won't be the case against stiffer quarterback competition in the postseason. Teams are throwing at Buffalo's secondary at the second-highest rate in the NFL (62.6%) since they are allowing the fourth-most passing yards per game (238.8) in the league, per NFL Pro. That's why Buffalo parted with a second-round pick to acquire Hooker.
What to Watch
AI outlook — possibilities, not facts
The Bills will improve their defensive performance in the postseason with Hooker in the secondary.
Possible · Within weeks
Open Questions
- What specific role will Hooker play in the Bills' defensive scheme?
- How will the loss of a second-round pick affect Buffalo's future draft capital?
- Did the Jacksonville Jaguars make any competing moves before the deadline?
